Anadolu Efes also lands Batista

Anadolu Efes Istanbul kept improving its froncourt for the upcoming future by inking center Esteban Batista to a three-year deal, the club announced Monday. Batista (2.08 meters, 27 years old) arrives from Caja Laboral, where he arrived midway through last season. He averaged 8.4 points and 6.3 rebounds in 10 Euroleague games. Batista started the 2010-11 season with Fuenlabrada, averaging 12.9 points and 8.4 rebounds before joining Laboral in January. In 2007-08, Batista helped Maccabi Tel Aviv reach the Euroleague title game in Madrid with 10.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game as a reserve. He shined in the title game when he tallied 14 points and 7 rebounds in just 14 minutes. A native of Uruguay, Batista came to Spain as a teenager and signed for Real Madrid, but never suited up for the Whites and instead played on loan with smaller clubs. He later spent two seasons with Atlanta in the NBA, averaging 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in 70 games. After playing for Maccabi, Batista also spent time in Russia with Triumph Lyubertsy before joining Fuenlabrada in summer 2009. Batista is a regular with the Uruguayan national team, with whom he has earned a silver and two bronze medals at the South American Championships. Batista is the fourth big man signed by Efes in this off-season along with Ermal Kuqo, Dusko Savanovic and Stanko Barac, who also arrived from Laboral.